Material applying apparatus



Sept. 25, 1962 w. c. GOTHE ET AL 3,055,328

MATERIAL APPLYING APPARATUS Filed July 11, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet 1 lllLl HIH V a; I

p 1962 w. c. GOTHE ET AL 3,055,328

MATERIAL APPLYING APPARATUS Filed July 11, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I. in H e m W Q LUZ:

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MATERIAL APPLYING APPARATUS Filed July 11, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .Zv SN 51 5' f. 5250 THE York Filed July 11, 1958, er. No. 756,064 4 Claims. (Cl. 1l395) This invention relates to material applying apparatus particularly apparatus for applying quantities of flux to metallic articles.

In manufacturing operations it is often necessary to apply flux to portions of each of a succession of parts which are to be soldered to other members in subsequent operations. For example, in the manufacture of transistors a metallic ribbon of a given length is fed between pairs of holders in a turret-type machine, as shown in pending application of R. C. Shafer, Serial No. 745,388, filed June 30, 1958, now Patent No. 2,983,987, so that these metallic ribbons may be moved successively and intermittently into work stations. At successive work stations, small quantities of flux are applied at spaced positions on each ribbon where quantities of solder are later to be deposited. In this case a portion of each ribbon between the solder deposits is removed producing two flexible articles, the solder carrying portions of which are bent downwardly to produce parallel faces between which transistor bars are to be secured. 'It is desired to coat these inner faces with fiux at a coating or fluxing station before performing the cutting and bending operations.

The object of the present invention is a coating apparatus which is highly efiicient in successively coating surfaces of spaced articles.

In accordance with the object, the invention comprises an applicator normally positioned away from a coating station, into which articles with surfaces to be coated are moved intermittently, and means operable during intervals of rest of the article including means to locate the applicator in alignment with the surfaces and actuating the applicator to apply a coating of material to the surfaces.

More specifically, the applicator is rockably mounted on a support and normally held at a starting position which locates the applicator midway between the surfaces it is to coat when the support is moved into the coating position. When moved into the coating position an armature, secured to the rocking shaft of the applicator will be attracted intermittently by solenoids, energized under the control of cam-operated switches, to automatically swing the applicator into engagement with the surfaces of the articles.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top-plan view of the apparatus shown in conjunction with a turret-type article-feeding machine;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus, portions thereof being broken away;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric view of a portion of the applicator;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a portion of the apparatus, and

FIG. 5 is a schematic Wiring diagram of the electrical control for the applicator.

The coating apparatus is mounted at a coating station relative to a turret-type article feeding member of a processing machine, wherein spaced pairs of holders 11 receive metallic ribbons and move them successively intermittently to operating stations. Prior to reaching the coating station, each ribbon has had its central portion removed, and the inner ends bent at right-angle to provide the flexible articles 12 as now shown in the drawings.

Patented Sept. 25, 1962 The purpose of the present apparatus is to coat the inner faces M of the articles 12 with a liquid, this liquid in the present instance being a suitable flux.

The apparatus includes a base 15 mounted at a fixed position relative to the turret 10 and having suitable vertical members 16 and 17 to act as supports for pivots 18 and 19 for levers 20 and 21. Also bearing brackets 23 and 24 are mounted upon the base at spaced positions to house bearings 25 and 26 for a cam shaft 28. The cam shaft 28 has a gear 29 mounted on one end thereof and interengaging a gear 30 of a drive shaft 31. Th drive shaft 31 is rotated intermittently in timed relation with the driving means, not shown, for the turret 10 to cause single but complete cycles or revolutions of the cam shaft during each interval of rest of the turret.

A cam 35 mounted on the cam shaft 28 engages a cam follower or roller 36 mounted on the adjacent end of lever 29, the roller being urged to follow the contour of the cam by a spring 37. A member 38, adjustably mounted at 39 on the other end of the lever 20, is bifurcated at its upper end to provide spaced supporting elements 40 to move vertically against the horizontal portions of the articles 12 closely adjacent the right angular bent or vertical portions of the articles to hold these portions against flexing during coating of the faces 14.

A cam 42, mounted on the cam shaft 28, controls lever 21 through the action of a spring 43, causing a cam follower or roller 44 to follow the contour of the cam. At the extreme opposite end of the lever 21 from the roller 44, a bracket 46 is adjustably mounted at 47 and carries spring-pressed plungers 43. The plungers 48 are employed in one instance to operate in pairs on each article 12 as electrical contacts to complete circuits including indicators 50 to signal the presence or absence of an article in each position. The inner pair of plungers function at the present instance to hold the adjacent portions of the articles on the supporting elements 40.

The lever 21 has an L-shaped bracket 52, mounted at 53 thereon, the vertical portion of the bracket supporting a receptacle 54 for a coating material 55 such as a suitable flux. The horizontal portion 56 of the bracket has a bushing 57 mounted thereon in alignment with an aperture through which a shaft 58, rotatably supported by the bushing, extends. A rigid metal tube 69 extends through an aperture in the shaft 58 and is fixed thereto. A pad, which may be identified as the applicator 61, formed of a porous material such as felt capable of :being saturated with a coating material 55, is mounted suitably in the end of the tube 60 to close the end of the tube and to project inwardly as shown at 62 to thereby become saturated with the material. The applicator or pad 61 is held in place firmly by a flexible strip of material 63 the ends of which are secured to a flange 64 fixed on the tube 60. A flow-control valve 65 is mounted on the tube 60 and is manually actuated at 66 to control the flow of the material 55 through the tube. A flexible tube 67, extending from the bottom of the receptacle 64 connected to the rigid tube 60 by a coupling 68, serves to supply the liquid 55 from the receptacle to the tube 60.

A spring 70 having one end fixed to the shaft 58 and the other end fixed to the horizontal portion 56 of the bracket functions to locate the applicator 61 at a given position so that when it is moved to the coating position relative to the articles .12 it will be located centrally between the surfaces 14. A leaf spring armature 72 has one end fixed to the shaft 58 and the other end provided with an iron block 73. Solenoids 74 and 75 supported by the horizontal poition 56 of the bracket are spaced from each other so that they will be equal distances from the iron block 73 of the armature 72. The spring 70 functions not only to position the applicator 61 at its starting position for location midway between the surfaces 14 but functions to locate the armature 72 with its block 73 midway between the solenoids 74 and 75.

The schematic electrical circuit shown in FIG. 5 is under the control of cams 80 and 81. The source of electrical energy is indicated by a battery 82. Cam 80 is' adapted to close a switch 83 to complete a circuit fromone side of the battery through switch 83 solenoid 74 to the other side of the battery. Energization of solenoid 74 will cause attraction of the armature to rock shaft 58' to move the applicator 61 into engagement with one of the surfaces 14. When the high portion of cam 88 moves beyond the switch 83 the switch is allowed to open, de-energizing solenoid 74 and allowing spring 78 to function to return both the applicator 61 and the armature 72 to their central or starting positions. Following this action, cam 81 will close switch 84, completing a circuit from one side of the battery 82, through solenoid 75 to the other side of'the battery, energizing solenoid 75 to cause rocking of the shaft 58 to move the applicator into engagement with the other surface 14. Movement of the high portion of the cam 81 beyond the switch 84 permits the switch to open and de-energize solenoid 75, freeing spring 70 to return the applicator and the armature to their starting positions. The inherent resiliency of the armature permits movement of the applicator under predetermined variable pressures into engagement with the surfaces being cooled.

Operation The operation of the apparatus is in timed relation with the turret so that the one revolution of the cam shaft will begin and end during the interval of rest of the turret. The parts carried by the levers and 21 must be out of the way while the pairs of holders 11 move the new pair of articles 12 into the coating station. At the beginning of the operating cycle of the apparatus lever 20 is moved in advance of lever 21 to locate the supporting elements in the angles of the bends of the articles 12 to locate the horizontal and inner vertical surfaces adjacent the horizontal and vertical parts of the articles. This action remains effective throughout the entire function of the lever 21 and the applicator 61.

When the lever 21 is moved about its pivot 19, the plungers 48 assist in holding the articles 12 against displacement upon their supporting elements 40 and the applicator 61 is lowered and positioned centrally between the surfaces 14 of the articles. While the lever 21 is in this position, the cams 80 and 81 operate individually in a definite order to cause successive energization of their solenoids 74 and 75 to move the applicator, through movement of the armature about the axis of the shaft 58, to apply a coating of the material 55 to each surface 14. De-energization of each solenoid 74 and 75 frees the spring 70 to return the shaft 58 and with it the applicator 61 and the armature 7273 to their starting positions where they will be when the cam 42 permits the lever 21 to rock clockwise to its normal position. This action takes place prior to the return of the lever 20 counter-clockwise to its normal position, lowering the supporting elements 40 in time for the next intermittent movement of the turret 10.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for coating spaced parallel surfaces of successive pairs of articles carried by spaced holders mounted on an intermittently movable turret and adapted to hold the pairs of articles with said surfaces parallel during intervals of rest at a coating station between movements of the turret with the holders and pairs of articles in a given plane to the coating station, the apparatus comprising an oscillatable coating material carrying applicator having opposing sides, a movable support for the applicator normally locating the applicator out of the plane adjacent the coating station, means to move the support during each interval of rest to locate the applicator in the space between said parallel surfaces to be coated, and means carried by the support and operable to oscillate the applicator to move it alternately to move the sides thereof into and out of engagement with their respective parallel surfaces to coat said surfaces with the material.

2. An apparatus for coating spaced parallel surfaces of successive pairs of articles according to claim 1 in which parallel members are disposed adjacent the coating station and normally located away from said plane, and means operable to move the parallel members into engagement with surfaces of the articles opposing the surfaces to be coated in advance of operation of the oscillatting means to support the articles against flexing in the coating station.

3. An apparatus for coating spaced parallel surfaces of successive pairs of articles according to claim 1 in which the operable means for oscillating the applicator includes spaced solenoids fixedly mounted on the support adjacent the applicator, an armature fixed to the applicator and normally disposed midway between the solenoids, and means actuable in timed relation with the support moving means to energize the solenoids alternately to oscillate the applicator to cause the opposing sides thereof to apply coating material to the surfaces to be coated alternately.

4. An apparatus for coating spaced parallel surfaces of successive pairs of articles according to claim 3 in which parallel members are disposed adjacent the coating station and normally located away from said plane, and means operable to move the parallel members into engagement with surfaces of the articles opposing the surfaces to be coated in advance of operation of the oscillating means to support the articles against flexing in the coating station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 443,289 Lockwood Dec. 23, 1890 901,867 Ayars Oct. 20, 1908 1,377,319 Cosgrove May 10, 1921 2,349,564 Ryan et a1 May 23, 1944 2,823,633 Meier et a1. Feb. 18, 1958 2,833,238 Jones et al May 6, 1958 2,891,180 Elmore June 16, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 479,281 Great Britain Feb. 2, 1938 

